DAYLIGHTING Magazine issue 35 Winter 2022

CASE STUDIES

MEDIATION IN RIGHTS TO LIGHT CASES

PRODUCT PROFILES PROJECTS

more

The rooflighting authority

NARM, the National Association of Rooflight Manufacturers, represents manufacturers and suppliers of all types of rooflights and has played a pivotal role in establishing the effects of rooflighting on building performance and in the development of rooflight standards which protect the marketplace from potentially poorly performing products – as well as promoting best practice among specifiers and installers.

Recognised as the UK’s leading independent and impartial authority on rooflighting, NARM’s knowledge and expertise is freely available, together with member company listings, at www.narm.org.uk

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Free access is also available via our website and social media. Average impressions per issue are approximately 5,500, however this varies according to social media activity. Our readership is predominantly UK architects, specifiers, contractors, consultants and roofing professionals. Full details are available on our website. www.daylightingmag.co.uk

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of content, the publisher does not accept liability for errors. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. This publication contains editorial photographs which may have been supplied and paid for by suppliers.

FRONT COVER: The ‘Automated Home’ in County Down, Ireland, features seven electric Keylite Roof Windows.

A new day dawns for DAYLIGHTING MAGAZINE...

Daylighting Magazine is now into its seventh year and I’m excited and delighted to report that in 2023, it will be getting a big boost – and a new look.

You may be aware that until now, I’ve run the magazine myself, alongside performing my regular marketing and content creation duties for clients.

From the next issue, DAYLIGHTING Magazine will benefit greatly from a new partnership. As editor, I will be supported by a new publishing and management team, which I’m sure will take the magazine on to greater things - with increased resources, wider circulation and more!

Look out for more news. The first issue under the new partnership will be out in early summer 2023.

In the meantime, this issue has a focus on rooflights, with product profiles, case studies and features looking at rooflighting solutions for a wide range of applications.

You’ll also find a very interesting introduction to the role that mediation can play in settling rights to light disputes. The article is by Richard Marshall, who I met recently at an event run by ‘Light Knights’: a group established to promote best practice in the fields of rights to light and daylight & sunlight amenity. Thank you, Richard.

That leads me on to say a big “thank you” to all of you who have supported me in this enterprise over the last six years, to take DAYLIGHTING Magazine to where it is now.

The best is yet to come. See you in 2023!

www.daylightingmag.co.uk

Paul Bennett

ALL ISSUES OF DAYLIGHTING MAGAZINE WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE ON LINE, TO READ OR DOWNLOAD, AS ALWAYS.

Building Safety Levy moves a step closer

Developers will be expected to pay levy on new residential buildings meaning they, rather than leaseholders, will pay to fix unsafe buildings. Proposals for how developers would pay to fix unsafe buildings have been set out this week by the government as it moves a step closer to imposing its new Building Safety Levy.

The government has now begun consulting developers and other interested parties on the plans, which will see an estimated £3 billion collected over the next 10 years. Under the proposals drawn by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, developers of residential buildings, regardless of their height, will have to pay the levy contribution as part of the building control process.

This will mean that unless the levy is paid, a developer could not move on to the next stage of the building process, which could lead to project delays and impact future revenues.

Minister for Local Government and Building Safety Lee Rowley said: We have been clear that developers must pay to fix building safety issues and the Building Safety Levy is an important part of making that a reality. Today’s consultation will give industry and local authorities an opportunity to work with us going forward.

By having these plans in place, we can ensure that all leaseholders

are protected, regardless of whether their developer has pledged to remediate or not.

The government’s proposals include an option to alter levy rates depending on where in the country the building is, with lower rates in areas where land and house prices are less expensive. It also suggests that local authorities will be best placed to act as the collection agents as they have the necessary systems, data, knowledge, and relationships in place with the developer sector.

In order to protect the supply of affordable homes, it is proposed they be exempt from a levy charge. This is alongside a number of community buildings, including NHS facilities, children’s homes and refuges, including those for victims of domestic abuse.

The levy will be reviewed regularly so that it can be adjusted to take account of changing circumstances, such as wider economic conditions. There are also plans to protect small and medium sized enterprises by excluding smaller projects.

The Building Safety Levy will run alongside the developer pledges which were announced earlier this year. Under the pledges, 49 of the UK’s biggest homebuilders have committed to fix life-critical firesafety defects in buildings over 11 metres where they had a role in developing those buildings in the last 30 years. This amounts to a commitment of at least £2 billion.

The Building Safety Levy was first announced in February 2021 and plans to extend it to cover all residential buildings were confirmed in April 2022. The Building Safety Levy is one of the ways we will ensure that the burden of paying for fixing historic building safety defects does not fall on leaseholders or taxpayers.

The consultation seeks views on the delivery of the Levy, including how it will work, what the rates will be, who must pay, what sanctions and enforcement will apply, and who is responsible for collecting the levy.

The consultation will be open for ten working weeks from the 22nd November and seeks the views of all interested parties, especially developers of all sizes, building control professionals and local authorities. Their views will be taken into account before any final decisions are made next year.

The consultation is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/ consultations/the-building-safetylevy-consultation

Big infrastructure projects spared the treasury axe

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt committed to completing HS2 to Manchester in his Autumn Statement. Hunt also said the “core network” of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project and the East West Rail scheme will go ahead as planned alongside construction of a £20 billion nuclear power station at Sizewell C in Suffolk.

Plans for the second round of the Levelling Up Fund were also confirmed, with at least £1.7 billion to be allocated to priority local infrastructure projects around the UK before the end of the year. The announcements will soothe nerves across the industry as contractors braced

for possible infrastructure cuts.

Hunt said capital spending cuts were often seen as an “easy option” and added “but doing so limits not our budgets, but our future” as he confirmed the Treasury will not be “cutting a penny” from the UK’s capital budgets over the next two years. He committed to maintaining the current level of capital spending in cash terms meaning previous planned rises are frozen to 2024/25 but said it would still amount to £600 billion investment over the next five years.

The Government officially abandoned the Truss Government’s plan to fast-track

138 mainly road projects, saying it would accelerate delivery of projects across its portfolio rather than focus on the list flagged up in the previous Growth Plan.

To reinforce the Government’s commitments to carbon reduction made at last year’s COP26 climate conference, the Chancellor made a new commitment of more than £6bn from 2025 to extend energy efficiency retrofit programmes.

He also announced a new Energy Efficiency Taskforce that would drive plans to cut energy use of buildings by 15% by 2030.

www.constructionenquirer.com

Energy crisis ‘fuels growth for foam sealants in 2023’

in the design, specification, new build housing and wider commercial construction sectors.

The energy crisis will ‘significantly fuel’ growth for window and door foam sealant tapes in 2023, according to Andy Swift, sales and operations manager for ISO-Chemie.

He sees the UK market remaining robust over the next 12 months with the need for more effective insulation and sealing solutions of windows and doors becoming a rapid priority

Refurbishment of existing housing stock is also expected to support growth in 2023, says Andy Swift, as retrofitting sealing solutions can be a more effective way to achieve greater energy efficient homes rather than building new properties. Indeed, national housing associations such as Broadacres Housing Association and Gateshead Housing have been upgrading their current stock with new door and window installations sealed by foam tapes.

In the modular sector, house designers will continue to invest in new ways to deliver low

carbon structures, which use sustainable technologies such as foam sealant tapes to secure measurable airtight, acoustic and thermal sealing benefits.

Andy Swift said with energy rated and conservation products at the forefront of design and building regulations, there has to be ‘discernible’ growth for air tightness and thermal sealing products.

“With 25% of the heat leaking from around windows will be paramount for all in the construction and building sectors to effectively seal around the window to wall gap,” he said.

www.iso-chemie.eu

CIBSE launches new guidance focused on blinds and internal shading in response to increasing temperatures

This guide highlights some of the issues associated with the discrepancies between blind performance in a model and in a real-life application. Future software applications will need to align with the relevant standards. This guidance also recognises that shading systems, such as internal blinds, simultaneously affect internal daylight and acoustic conditions as well as the thermal and solar performance of a building.

residential buildings currently only accepts external shading as a measure to mitigate solar gains, the content of this guide will be helpful to provide a background on the combined physics of glass–blind systems, recognizing the differences between external and internal blind elements.

CIBSE’s new Technical Memorandum Dynamic thermal modelling of basic blinds (TM69: 2022) recognises the role of internal shading in reducing indoor air temperatures, along the impact on internal daylight and acoustics.

Recently, the UK has experienced air temperatures in excess of 40 °C for the first time, smashing previous records. We initially adapt to excessive heat by moving into the shade. Air temperatures are always read in the shade: the sun’s radiation does not directly affect the temperature reading. The primary adaptation response is therefore to reduce the direct component of solar radiation, moving behind a tree or building, but this has little impact on the diffuse component of solar radiation coming from the clouds and sky (the direct solar beam scattered by molecules or particulates in the atmosphere) or the air temperature.

This publication will examine some of the limitations that are present when including moveable blinds in a dynamic thermal model. The focus is on representing a more straightforward approach, in thermal analysis terms, (or ‘basic’) glass–blind systems in some typical software packages. It also suggests ‘workarounds’ for better representations. In this study, a basic blind is defined as any type of blind, but of only one layer (e.g. a flat fabric) and limited to moving only up or down, such as a roller or closed venetian blind. This publication does not examine some of the more complicated glass–blind systems such as external blinds, open interstitial blinds (i.e. between glazing layers), honeycomb blinds, or an internal venetian blind in an extended but open position (e.g. with slats positioned at a 45-degree angle).

Although Approved Document O: Overheating (HM Government, 2021) for newly developed

The development of TM69 was led by the CIBSE Building Simulation Group. It was authored by Darren Woolf (Wirth Research and Loughborough University); Maria Gabriela da Silva Costa (Useful Simple Trust); Bahareh Salehi (Mott Macdonald); and Elpida Vangeloglou (Etheras Ltd./ London South Bank University).

The CIBSE Building Simulation Group Best Practice Initiative committee acknowledge the following companies and persons for their support: Ann Van Eycken (European SolarShading Organisation), Ben Abel (Hilson Moran), Deborah Andrews (London South Bank University), Craig Wheatley (Integrated Environmental Solutions Limited), Alessandro Baldini (Eckersley O’Callaghan), Zoe De Grussa (British Blind and Shutter Association), Shane Regan (Bentley) and Duncan MacArthur (Environmental Design Solutions Limited).

Find out more about Dynamic thermal modelling of basic blinds at https://go.cibse.org/ CIBSETM69-pressrelease

Façade 2022 Design and Engineering Awards winners announced

With 10 categories celebrating sustainability and innovation in the UK and international façade engineering, this year’s awards recognised refurbishment and new build projects, along with the 2022 Young Façade Engineer of the Year.

Arup won the Project of the Year 2022, Sustainability – UK for 1 Triton Square. Invited by British Land to modernise the 1990s structure for today’s working needs, performance targets included wellbeing, community, and futureproofing. Adopting a marginal gains approach, the team introduced high performance façades while refurbishing and retaining parts of the existing façade where possible.

AECOM were recognised in the international sustainable project of the year category for the Gillies Hall Student Accommodation in Melbourne, Australia. AECOM returned to first principles to deliver the first large-scale PassivHaus project in Australia and, when completed, the largest PassivHaus certified project in the Southern Hemisphere. This was made possible by adapting the building orientation and layout to allow for natural ventilation throughout and limiting solar gain in summer.

Simon Bate was named the Young Façade Engineer of the Year 2022. Simon graduated from Warwick University in 2019 and has worked as a façade engineer for Buro Happold since. In nominating him, Peter Goff, Associate Director at

Buro Happold, praised Simon for his diligence, rigour and maturity, particularly when working on some of the most challenging projects relating to the remediation of combustible cladding on high-risk buildings.

As well as celebrating the achievement of young façade engineers, Chris Macey MBA FSFE was recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Chris is joint founder and CEO of Wintech Group. Following the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017, Chris has contributed to sub-committees focused on the remediation of building facades to prevent the spread of fire through the external envelope. Chris has been instrumental in the development of façade engineering as a recognised specialism, promoting the contribution of façade engineering in delivering high performance buildings.

Rimmy Vij, vice-chair of the Society of Façade Engineering and Technical Director, Façade Engineering for WSP said;

“After relaunching the awards this year and partnering with ZAK World of Facades London Conference for the first time, we were thrilled to receive so many quality entries. With the challenges presented by climate change, it’s fantastic to see façade design and engineering leading the way in terms of sustainability and retrofit, both in the UK and internationally.

The level of interest both across the world and from the UK reflects the wider recognition of the importance of the science of façade engineering, its contribution the built environment, and the fundamental role that facades now play in buildings achieving their carbon targets and building sustainability objectives. Congratulations to all the shortlisted and winning entries tonight.”

See the 2022 Façade Design and Engineering Award winners here: https://facadeawardsuk.com/

Whitesales launches Part L compliant timber sloping rooflight upstand

Now that the Building Regulations require all rooflight upstands built on site to meet a 0.35W/m2K U-Value, Whitesales has launched an all-in-one proprietary solution that takes away that hassle and makes it easy for builders to comply.

The overhead glazing specialist has developed a new preassembled timber sloping upstand to fit with its popular em.glaze fixed and hinged aluminium rooflights, which means builders don’t need to build anything separate on site and don’t need to worry about U-Value calculations for Part L compliance.

The Whitesales upstand also saves time on site because it comes pre-assembled rather than in kit form like some other timber upstands, and it can even be supplied to site ahead of the rooflight if needed to suit onsite timescales.

With upstands now classified

as part of the wall feature for the purposes of Part B fire safety requirements, Whitesales has ensured that its version easily meets the EN13501-1 fire resistance standard, with pre fitted fire-rated insulation sandwiched between the plywood elements and the addition of an A1 fire-rated plasterboard lining as standard.

Whitesales is offering the new timber upstand in 18 sizes to match with its complete em.glaze rooflight range. All the sizes meet the standard requirement for upstands to be at least 150mm at the lowest part of the flat roof and all have a 5 deg pitch to ensure adequate water run-off. They are constructed from FSC Certified C16 grade CLS timber battens and studs and marine grade plywood, with an insulating foam sandwich layer to give the necessary thermal performance and a plasterboard inner.

Sioned Roberts, Whitesales’ Marketing Director, explained:

“Upstands obviously play an important part in ensuring that rooflights sit in the right position and fit securely without any risk of leaks. It has always been easier and more reliable for builders to choose a rooflight and kerb assembly from a single supplier like Whitesales to avoid remedials, and now there’s an even stronger incentive given that the installing company is liable for demonstrating Part L and Part B compliance. We are providing a combined Ud-value for the upstand and the rooflight, so all our customers have to do is focus on the installation and leave all the worries about compliance to us.”

The new Whitesales timber upstand is available from stock in the standard sizes on a lead time of just two to three weeks for roof openings from 500 x 500mm right up to 1500mm x 3000mm.

More details at: https://www. whitesales.co.uk/our-products/

NEW PROJECTS

Private home, Lymington, Hampshire

Glazing Vision worked closely with the architect and contractor on this project, where the client was looking for their new pool room extension to include a large, flat rooflight, creating a peaceful and naturally lit room.

Glazing Vision’s Flushglaze Fixed Multipart Rooflight was specified for the roof of the pool house, which was an impressive 3800mm x 10360mm in size.

www.glazingvision. co.uk

Watford High Street Station

Twinfix utilised their skills and expertise to restore part of the historic Watford High Street Station, returning the station’s entrance to its former glory. Using their Multi-Link-Panel, NonFragile glazed with 6mm solid Georgian wired effect polycarbonate, they have brought this landmark up to date with sustainable materials, while keeping the look and feel of the original building.

www.twinfix.co.uk

A Frameless Modern Rooflight With A Timeless Design

Product profile: the neo rooflight from The Rooflight Company

The expertly designed neo rooflight from The Rooflight Company offers an unobtrusive and elegant exterior profile alongside a sleek, frameless interior design to enhance living spaces and maximise the amount of natural light in both modern and period properties.

From the inside looking out, the neo replicates the look and feel of a frameless pane of glass for a clean, minimalist aesthetic. The clever design allows the plasterboard to be taken right up to the white internal lining, while a top hinged opening maximises the space below. The neo is also available with concealed electric openings for a totally seamless appearance.

On the outside, the pitched rooflight can be installed between the rafter to sit level with the roof tile. This allows the rooflight to blend effortlessly with the existing roof tile.

Available in a range of sizes, plus bespoke options, the neo uses high quality materials, including a unique Thermoliner® detail to prevent condensation and mould, making it ideal for all areas of the home, including bathrooms and kitchens. The neo boasts a high energy efficiency rating and achieves a low u-value of 1.4 W/m2k to exceed current building regulations, mitigate against rising energy prices, and deliver against the recent Part L changes to Building Regulations.

Suitable for roof pitches between 20°

and 60°, the neo perfectly balances functionality and form, with a sleek, elegant design to suit all types of property, from modern homes to Regency buildings.

Modern Design with a Heritage Charm

The neo was recently used to maximise natural light in a Grade II listed Regency building in the St John’s

Wood Conservation Area in the City of Westminster.

Architects at Studio Stassano were appointed to remodel the semidetached, end-of-terrace property, which lacked space and needed serious work on a poor quality 1990’s side and rear extension. Plans included replacing the old extensions with a two-storey side extension with an additional first floor, plus a full width single-story rear extension. Like most London homes, the property lacked space, so the new extensions were designed to make the most of the room available.

The brief was to remodel the property and make it suitable for modern family living, while maintaining the building’s heritage charm. Studio Stassano had to protect the integrity of the original building fabric and structure of the house, while introducing sustainable design to comply with modern building standards and regulations. Only periodappropriate materials were used to suit the character of the building and ensure the renovation was sympathetic to the history of the house.

The neo rooflight was installed at the top of the property’s grand, historic staircase, flooding each floor with natural light. From the outside, the rooflight perfectly complements the Victorian style of the building. Due to its specialist construction, it sits flush against the roof tile to give a seamless finish. Inside, the frameless rooflight creates a perfect view, uninterrupted by a frame or hinges. While at first glance it looks like a fixed sheet of glass, a concealed motor opens the rooflight at the touch of a button.

Leandro Cristofaro, Architect at Studio Stassano, comments: “The Rooflight Company rooflights really were the best fit for the job. They are high quality and beautifully designed. They

represent the quintessence of my brief to create a traditional aesthetic with modern spec throughout the whole house.”

Trusted by architects, specifiers, and building professionals, The Rooflight Company has over 25 years’ experience designing and manufacturing its high-quality range of heritage, modern and bespoke rooflights, suitable for both pitched and flat roofs.

For more information on the neo pitched rooflight from The Rooflight Company, please visit:

www.therooflightcompany.co.uk

neo rooflight was installed at the top of the property’s grand, historic staircase, flooding each floor with natural light. From the outside, the rooflight perfectly

“The

complements the Victorian style of the building.”

FEATURE daylight diary

Planning ahead for a busy year in 2023...

As we approach the end of another year NARM, the National Association of Rooflight Manufacturers, is busy finalising plans for 2023, with a focus on new activities that we’ll be announcing soon.

As the voice of the UK’s rooflight industry, we make authoritative and objective rooflighting information available to all, via our website and technical documents. Our Technical Committee has been hard at work updating a number of NARM Technical Documents to meet the needs of specifiers faced with complex decisions and changing legislation. Look out for further updates to our online document library in 2023.

NARM commissions research through academic bodies and experts, to enable greater understanding of the role that daylight can play in improving building performance and the wellbeing of building occupants. In 2023 we will be publishing data from new research in this field.

We are also planning new initiatives to support best practice at all stages of

the design and installation of rooflights. We will continue to maintain close involvement with CPA (Construction Products Association) and Eurolux, the European trade association for rooflight manufacturers, as a member organisation of both.

NARM representatives will also continue to play active roles, or maintain close ties with, other trade associations including NFRC (National Federation of Roofing Contractors);

LRWA (Liquid Roofing & Waterproofing Association); MCRMA (Metal Cladding & Roofing Manufacturers Association);

SPRA (Single Ply Roofing Association) and ACR (Advisory Committee for Roofsafety).

It’s going to be a busy year. We’re looking forward to meeting the challenges of 2023.

Find out more and download technical documents at: www.narm.org.uk

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The benefits of GRP Rooflights

By Hambleside Danelaw

By Gary Southgate, Hambleside Danelaw

The idea of lighting a building from above is not a new one – the Pantheon in Rome has an oculus, or opening, in its domed roof, which was used to light the space inside during the day. However, this method proved impractical across Europe, as the opening would allow the elements into the building.

The invention of clear glass, credited to Angelo Barovier around 1480, increased daylight transmission into buildings, as previous glass had a

green or yellow hue caused by iron oxide. However, glass could not be used for areas bigger than 3 feet due to the inability to make larger panes of glass. This meant that its use was limited to smaller windows and roof lanterns in cathedrals.

During the industrial revolution, it became possible to manufacture larger sheets of glass, which were also machine polished – resulting in a much clearer finish. Skylights became a more common feature in homes.

In the twentieth century, a new development in the glass industry occurred: it became possible to mass produce glass fibres. Today, glass fibres can be used as loose rovings, flattened into a sheet as chopped strand matt, or woven into a cloth. GRP (Glass Reinforced Polyester) combines these glass fibres with a thermoset polyester resin – resulting in a strong, lightweight material which can be used in an array of products, from boats to roofing materials.

During the 45 years of manufacturing GRP rooflights, Hambleside Danelaw has advanced its manufacturing technology that is used in the Zenon branded products today for both in-plane and barrel vault rooflight applications.

Rooflights manufactured from GRP by Hambleside Danelaw are installed on the roofs of industrial and commercial buildings such as factories, warehouses, and distribution centres where large areas of rooflights are

also required, and these buildings are getting bigger! They provide an easy way to let the freely available resource of natural light into the building. Industrial building type rooflights can also be manufactured from polycarbonate, however GRP comes with several additional benefits when compared to this option.

Through natural diffusion, GRP rooflights distribute daylight evenly throughout the interior space. Although polycarbonate rooflights tend to have higher light transmission, they can produce glare and clearly defined areas of brightness contrasting with shadow and gloom. Glare can have an adverse impact on the building users’ comfort and ability to function. GRP rooflights significantly reduce glare, and within BREEAM Hea 01 Visual Comfort, will gain project points as part of a glare control strategy. It is also worth considering that solar gain and light transmission are directly linked, meaning that a higher light transmission can result in the building

“Through natural diffusion, GRP rooflights distribute daylight evenly throughout the interior space.”

overheating, and therefore, excessive solar gain may create a need for cooling strategies such as uncontrolled ventilation. However, solar gain can have a positive benefit by reducing the demand for space heating!

When specified correctly, GRP rooflights will deliver a lower embodied carbon content than their polycarbonate equivalent. Further lowering of embodied carbon can be achieved by using Zenon Insulator insulation layer, made from cellulose acetate, a recycled wood pulp product which is compostable after its service life. In comparison to polycarbonate insulation layers, Zenon Insulator provides a wider distribution of light and when partnered with Zenon Evolution GRP rooflight material can reduce or even remove the need for

artificial lighting during normal daylight hours.

Other advantages of GRP over and above polycarbonate are a lower thermal expansion coefficient that’s more closely aligned with that of surrounding roofing sheets, ensuring a simplified fixing methodology; compatibility with all other materials as standard, including plastisols associated with coated steel; and finally, GRP rooflights can provide a service life in excess of 30 years and satisfy their non-fragility status for 25 years or more.

To learn more about Zenon GRP rooflights, get in touch with Hambleside Danelaw’s sales team on 01327 701920 or visit the website:

www.hambleside-danelaw.co.uk/ zenon-rooflights/

ZENON ROOFLIGHT DIFFUSION MAKES LIGHT WORK OF DARK WORKSPACES

Perfect for both new builds and refurbishments, our innovative Zenon Pro and Zenon Evolution GRP rooflights have the potential to allow three times more natural light into an interior space than a window or other vertical glazing the same size. That means safer working environments while reducing the need for artificial lighting.

Thermally efficient, insulated and constructed with significantly less cradle-to-grave embodied carbon than traditional rooflights, over the lifetime of a standard building, Zenon Evolution is the eco-conscious choice for specification.

Zenon Low Carbon GRP Daylight Solutions Brochure

SCAN TO DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURE

“When specified correctly, GRP rooflights will deliver a lower embodied carbon content than their polycarbonate equivalent. ”

Howells goes back to school with Academy extension

Work is now complete on a £4.4 million expansion of Kingswood Academy in Hull, following an increase in demand for places.

The new Russell Building comprises 12 new classrooms; two offices; a new dining area and servery, including indoor and outdoor seating; toilets; and plant rooms. A further 72 parking spaces have also been created. It has enabled the academy to create a further 150 places for students.

Main contractor, Sewell Construction was tasked with delivering the extension – a three-storey stand-alone building at the rear of the existing school.

Howells Patent Glazing was appointed by Sewell Construction to design, supply and install three flat-top rooflights for the new building. Speaking about the appointment, Duncan Wilson, Contracts Manager from Sewell Construction said: “We have worked with Howells before and knew that they would be best suited to the job, with the skillset that we required.”

Flat-top Rooflights

The three flat-top rooflights sit amongst a sea of solar panels and to either side of two rooftop air conditioning units. They are pitched at just five degrees and measure 3.51m x 2.32m. Each rooflight is split into six 28mm double

glazed units with a 6.8mm laminated inner pane and a toughened, easy clean outer pane. They each achieve a U-value of 1.0 Wm2K

Structural Glass Rafters

The rooflights were specified to maximise natural light in the atrium. To achieve the highest possible light levels, Howells used its structural glass rafters to reinforce the structure. These provide support without breaking the sight lines. There are six 39mm glass rafters in total; two per rooflight, each made from Class 2 safety glass.

Due to the design of the Howells flattop rooflight only the glass element with a black painted edge border can be seen from above or below. Out of sight, the aluminium structure is powder coated for durability. On this occasion it was matt finished in RAL 7043 Traffic grey B.

Commenting on the overall experience of working with Howells, Duncan said: “They [Howells] are a very competent contractor that we like working with.”

The school remained operational throughout the project. The new Russell Building was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Kingston upon Hull at the end of June 2022.

The project was delivered by Hull Esteem Consortium LEP Ltd as part of Hull City Council’s Pupil Place Planning project. The expansion is one of several schemes taking place across the city, benefiting from a wider £50million being spent to ensure children have the best education facilities possible.

To find out more about Howells Patent Glazing and its products and services please visit:

howellsglazing.co.uk

Bespoke rooflight key to £850,000 library refurb

The new roof at Minehead’s refurbished and extended library showcased Whitesales’ ability to design, supply and install truly bespoke rooflight solutions.

Somerset County Council wanted the library extension to be flooded with light to make it a bright and welcoming space but didn’t want to end up with a glazed roof which looked like a greenhouse. The design they proposed was for a contemporary, inverted pitch ridge light with a bespoke gutter detail to the centre. However, the original specification from a different supplier couldn’t meet some of the key aesthetic criteria they wanted, prompting the main contractor Harris

Bros & Collard to turn to Whitesales for help.

Based at the company’s headquarters in Cranleigh, Surrey, the Whitesales design team scoped the complex project using a bespoke 10 degree em.glaze dual pitch gable ended lantern light. The framework and glazing bars were all in polyester powder coated aluminium and the double-glazed sealed units featured non-fragile toughened glass on the outside and low E laminated glass on the inside.

The Whitesales’ design ensured that the layout of the glazing bars in the rooflight corresponded precisely with the glulam beam structure inside to

CASE STUDY

give a consistent look and included vertical sides with electric opening vents to provide adequate ventilation. The team also advised on the loadings required for safe installation of the lighting suspended from the roof.

The 7676mm x 7676mm rooflight is finished in Yellow Grey (RAL7034), a standard Whitesales colour, and matches with the triple glazed aluminium windows installed at the library entrance.

For Harris Bros & Collard, Whitesales’ technical knowledge and experience and fast and clear communication throughout the design stages gave them the reassurance they needed to award such a major, high-profile project to a company they had only previously only placed small orders with.

Contracts Manager, Brian Neale, said the way that Whitesales quoted and responded to queries was impressive: “We always had confidence in the quality of the Whitesales product offering but what impressed us just as much was a real understanding of the design intent from the outside and the

responsiveness to queries throughout.”

Karl Granfield, Whitesales’ Senior Contracts Manager, added that the library rooflight was typical of the kind of bespoke rooflights Whitesales can supply and install, based around its em.glaze fully welded

thermally broken aluminium frame. He said: “A 30 degree slope is standard on our rooflights, but as we’ve shown here, we can go as low as 10 degrees in our custom-made options and span up to 6m.”

Following the £850,000 refurbishment, Minehead Library has become Somerset County Council’s first decarbonised library building. Alongside the new rooflight in the extension, the roof of the original 60-year-old building has been replaced and number of energy efficient measures have been installed including an air source heat pump, solar panels and underfloor heating, and improved thermal insulation. www.whitesales.co.uk

Waldram tools – daylighting software

MBS has been developing software for over 25 years, delivering applications that are powerful and easy to use.

Spring 2022 brings the expected release of the BRE’s 3rd edition of ‘Site planning for daylight and sunlight: a guide to good practice’. The guide has been updated to include the new metrics outlined within BS EN 17037.

MBS has been working hard to incorporate the new metrics within the software, so that its users can hit the ground running following the BRE’s release.

Used by Architects, Daylighting Consultants, Rights of Light Consultants, Planning Consultants, Local Authorities and Sustainability Consultants.

• VSC • NSL/DD • ADF

• APSH • 2hr Sunlight to Amenity

• Daylight Factor

• sDA / Illuminance Method

• Sunlight Exposure

• Rights of Light

• Façade Analysis

• View

• UDI

• DGP

• ASE

• Solar Glare

• Transient Shadow

• Solar Radiation

VSC – Waldram Diagram

Radiance Based Image Climate Based Daylight Modelling

Mediation and Rights to Light - The FAQs

By Richard Marshall, accredited Mediator (Civil &

and

Rights to light is an interesting animal when it comes to disputes. Many of them are anticipated. The developer can know it is infringing legal rights when it puts its plans together, but it does it anyway.

Because of that, the developer may put aside a ‘stash of cash’ to deal with the issues. Or take out insurance. The point being they prepare for the possibility of infringement and settlement.

Yes there are points of dispute (which windows have rights, what is the loss, how do the cutbacks affect that outcome, what is the appropriate level of compensation) but the general drift is that a payment will be made to compensate the neighbour, it’s just about how much.

But sometimes, even though things might seem like they are set up for settlement, the parties can fail to get to get there.

That’s where mediation can help resolve things.

So how can mediation help with all of this?

Some people will say it can’t. By the time that the parties have got to a stalemate in negotiations, it’s not going to be settled. It’s time to wheel in the lawyers. To start the litigation process. To start spending some serious money.

After all, everyone has given it their

best, there have been a few offers, the parties remain apart and there we are. But there is another way of proceeding. Sometimes at the point of stalemate and sometimes before the parties get there.

Mediation is a way of unlocking the deal, by looking at the people involved, their interests, not their positions, and to build something that allows them to resolve their differences.

After all, despite how technical the process is to calculate the loss of light, and the amount of the appropriate compensation, how many times is the right to light dispute about the loss of light?

Yes we all know the technical issues involved, that we can talk about lumens at a certain level in the room, we can look at the use by the reasonable person, or some specialist use.

But there are many disputes are about the parties not wanting the thing built in the first place, certainly not at the size its planned: it’ll be overbearing, it’ll cause me problems parking, it will change the neighbourhood, all sorts of issues - even ones that have more to do with a neighbour dispute than it does with a rights to light dispute.

When the parties try to negotiate to settle the rights to light case, they may not be aware of these other issues, even the parties may not be aware that

Commercial)

Negotiation Trainer at Striving to Settle

“...sometimes, even though things might seem like they are set up for settlement, the parties can fail to get to get there. ”

is what they are actually arguing about. But mediation can help to expose the parties real concerns, help to find imaginative ways of resolving conflict, and most of all, the parties ‘own’ the settlement; it is not imposed upon them.

So what exactly is Mediation? How does it work?

Mediation is not about imposing a decision on the parties; it’s not arbitration, adjudication, nor a Court decision. It’s certainly not about forcing them to settle.

It’s totally voluntary process; both parties have to agree to take part.

It’s about helping people to find a settlement.

The traditional mediation model is about the two parties, with advisers,

meeting at a physical venue. Everything that happens is confidential, so the parties are free to explore topics, swap offers, all with the knowledge that no-one but them will know about it, certainly none of it will be for the Judge’s eye.

Prior to the day, the parties will prepare a bundle of the key documents that may need to be referred to. They will prepare ‘position statements’ that set out their case, and their approach ahead of the mediation. They will discuss tactics and strategy with their advisers.

On the day the parties each have a room of their own, with a separate larger joint room.

The day starts with a joint session in the main room.

The parties will set out their stall, they

RIGHTS TO LIGHT

will invariably confirm their willingness to engage in mediation, they will seek to make points about the strength of their case, they may sneak in a few digs at the other side’s position. There maybe nothing new about what is said, but it may be new to say it face to face, it may be novel to even see each other. Thereafter the parties retreat to their rooms. That’s where the mediation really starts.

The mediator will for the majority of the day run a kind of shuttle diplomacy, visiting each party in their room.

In those individual sessions, the first thing that the mediator will do is to get to know the parties, build rapport, and talk through the way that the mediation works. The main feature is that everything that is spoken in each room is confidential with that party, so nothing can be said by the mediator unless and until the party agrees for the mediator to say something specific to the other side. It gives a ‘safe space’ to discuss the case, the party’s views on it and their hopes for settlement.

One thing that is often discussed is what the mediator thinks about the merits of the case. This is an interesting subject. The mediator is not there to express a view. They are not there to decide the case.

However they may have some points to make, some feel for how evidence might be received by the Court, they might ask some difficult questions about the case as it will be presented, so sector experience can be a real advantage.

But to be honest most of the time, the mediator’s role is to find out the parties’ interests, work out ways that they can help to reach settlement, reality test the cases being put forward, and discuss the options available to the

parties. Mediators have a whole tool kit to help people look beyond the conflict and find a way forward.

One thing I often discuss with the parties is the BATNA; the Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. What is the best ‘next option’ if the parties don’t reach settlement, usually for further costs as the dispute starts to move towards litigation and trial. Or for the scheme to be altered, to avoid the infringement. Once the parties realise what they are up against it helps to get them to start to focus on what is currently on offer, or they might be able to negotiate within the medition.

Does it work?

According to some of the latest statistics, the overall success rate of mediation remains very high, with an aggregate settlement rate of 93% (when you include cases that settle either on the day or shortly thereafter, meaning that even if the parties don’t do the deal there and then, they are often able to reflect, see how far they have come and then manage to find a settlement).

And I have personally never come out of a mediation, successful or otherwise, where the parties have not learnt something about their position, their true interests in the dispute, or even something about themselves and their opposition.

Which makes sense. It’s all about communication, so anyone taking part is going to learn something new as much as they are going to send messages to the other side.

To be honest it can be. By the time that you get all of the advisers in one place for a day, with the costs of hiring a

I can see the benefits but it sounds expensive…

“

...the mediator’s role is to find out the parties’ interests, work out ways that they can help to reach settlement, reality test the cases being put forward, and discuss the options available to the parties.

Mediators have a whole tool kit to help people look beyond the conflict and find a way forward.”

venue, the costs can soon rack up.

But there are various options that can mean that it can be easier than you think to access mediation.

Instead of a full day, go for half a day.

I sometimes find that in a full day mediation the morning and most of the afternoon can be spent posturing, trading views of the dispute, but that the ‘real work’ only gets going later in the afternoon, prompting a late evening or night where the parties thrash things out between them. But half a day focuses everyone’s mind from the get go. It seems to up the pace of movement, and often I can find that the parties settle within the half day; no late night drafting.

The venue does not have to be perfect.

I recently did a half day mediation in Camden Town at the solicitor’s cramped hgh street offices, each party using an office and me in the broom cupboard of a boardroom.

No opening session, straight into seeing the parties individually. And we settled.

There is then the use of Zoom.

I run quite a few two hour Zoom mediations. Yes they are not works of art. There is not the time to get to know people in the same way, but those willing to do this sort of mediation are ‘self selecting’ in that they feel that they can do a deal, they just need a bit of extra help to get there. And they do far more often than they don’t.

There are even mediations by email or phone call, although they are the hardest to make work.

So there are a range of options, and so cost does not need to constrain the parties ability to use mediation when

that deal is being just oh so elusive. I’m getting curious - so when is the best time to propose mediation?

This is a bit of a balancing act. The parties need to exchange information on the development, their views, test their arguments and listen to the other side’s views. There also need to be a proper chance given to settle the matter. Let’s not forget that most cases settle though good old fashioned negotiation.

But once the parties know what the dispute is about, once they reaslise that they are apart and not getting substanially closer, then is the time to raise mediation.

Before positions become entrenched. Before the costs start to rack up. The parties don’t need to be legally represented (although in certain disputes that will be essential to ensure the parties know their legal rights before compromising them). Some of my most surprising mediations have been between unrepresented parties who understood their position,who wanted to settle, but just couldn’t get there.

Anything else I need to know?

No, I think you’ve just got to pick a case, and give it a go. Have it on your radar, as one of your available options, and then (if you’re an advisor) even if things have become stuck, you have one more thing to suggest to your client.

And yes you can say I’m biased, but I have seen enough mediations to say that I’m honestly not gilding the lily when I say that mediation is a magical thing.

Richard Marshall www.strivingtosettle.co.uk

DAYLIGHTING ICONS

In this regular feature we feature a building which simply highlights the best in innovative,effective daylighting design.

World Trade Center Transportation Hub, New York

Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, the “Oculus” is a train station, plaza and shopping mall adjacent to the memorial site for the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

The cathedral-like structure incorporates a 330-foot long skylight supported by white steel ribs that soar to 160 feet high.

Daylight streams between the steel ribs and down from the skylight, making it hard to believe the reflective white marble floor sits two storeys below street level.

Overhead glazing:

For safety’s sake, check for the tick symbol.

For the safety of building occupants, NARM advises that inner panes on all glass rooflights must be laminated glass. Always check this with your supplier, as we are aware that some rooflights are being supplied with toughened glass inner panes: a potential danger.

The term ‘toughened’ implies a degree of safety which in the case of rooflights, is misleading – as toughened glass can shatter, putting those beneath a rooflight at risk.

For more information, visit: www.narm.org.uk

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Fully approved by the CAA. Pilots are trained and licenced. A site survey and risk assessment is carried out at each location. A copy of our drone operator’s Permission for Commercial Operation can be provided on request.

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